Oh Baby
by teach76
Summary: My version of what happened right after Sonny found out about the baby, written January 16th, 17th, & 19th, 2013.
1. Chapter 1

**Again, just working on getting all of my stuff on one site...Another story from back in January (Chapter 1 written 1-16-13, Chapter 2 written 1-17-13, and Chapter 3 written 1-19-13)...back after Sonny had JUST found out about the baby...what he did...and how it all worked out...my version of events :)**

As Sonny unlocked the door to his apartment, he half-hoped Will would still be there. He felt both hope and dread, opening the door that for a short time was _theirs_. At first, everything seemed the same as when he had left this morning. This morning—when the day was still full of hope. When they would go to the wedding, then come home and celebrate just _that_…that it was _their home_. Then, as he threw his keys down, he noticed it. Will's key. Lying there on the desk. It wasn't until then that the finality of it hit him. He closed his eyes and finally let the emotions overtake him.

He had spent the day surrounded by people, his mind busied by his business. Even though it was a slow day at the coffee house, he had kept himself occupied. Doing inventory, restocking sugar packets, doing anything to keep his mind off of Will and the mess that was their relationship. _Was_ their relationship. Their relationship was suddenly past tense. The tears that he had choked back when Will told him he loved him now came freely. Right now, he was unsure if they would ever stop. He had never known the emptiness he felt in this moment. He had always been an explorer—traveling the world for new experiences and adventures. But now, all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide from the world—from reality. But even a glance at the bed reminded him of the first night, and all of the nights since, that he and Will had spent together.

For a split second, he let himself wonder how much of their relationship had been a lie. But, no, with all of the lies and uncertainty between he and Will, there was one thing that Sonny could not doubt. Their love. He knew he loved Will, and he knew Will loved him. He had never seen this coming. It was like a nightmare and he was waiting to wake up. Nightmare. It hit him…nightmare. The nights that Will woke up terrified…it all made sense now. As wrong as it was for Will to lie, he had had a conscience about it. As he thought back over the past few weeks, so many things made sense now. The money that he already knew was for an abortion…Gabi's abortion…_Will's child's_ abortion. The secret that he had to keep for Gabi…and, as it turned out, for himself. But Will had been wrong about one thing—he said it wasn't about Sonny. This may not be about him, but Sonny was feeling the repercussions of it reverberating every time he looked around his apartment and saw small reminders of the times they had spent together there.

Before he could think twice about it, Sonny knew what he had to do. He opened the closet, grabbed his carry-on bag, and filled it with only the essentials. He had no idea where he was going, but right now, he knew he had to be anywhere but here. Picking up his keys off of the desk, Sonny noticed something he hadn't seen there the first time. An envelope with his name on it…in Will's writing. He picked it up and put it down several times, debating whether he was ready to read it, or if he wanted to wait until he got back…whenever that would be. He picked it up again, stuck it inside his carry-on, delaying the decision for now. He made one last glance around the apartment, then at the key. He closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and headed out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**A bit cheesy? Yeah, but hang in there with me… :) I debated writing the whole letter from Will, but also didn't want to re-explain everything that we knew that Sonny didn't…**

Sonny turned on his phone for the first time in two weeks. He knew others would cringe at the idea of being disconnected from the world, but it had been just what he needed.

He hadn't known where he was going when he had headed out of Salem. He hadn't planned ahead enough to go far, but he knew he needed time away. His mind was not completely on driving as he headed up I-57. He didn't know when he would know where he was going, but he figured he would know when he got there. He had no concept of time. It was one of those drives, like when you get in the car to drive home, arrive at home, and don't really remember how you got there. He just kept driving.

He had spent two weeks up at Starved Rock, just a few hours from Salem. It was like returning to his former life. He camped out under the stars, and spent his days hiking and contemplating life. Yes, he had taken this trip…run away really…in order to get away from all of the drama of Salem. But also, to figure out what he was going to do about all of the drama once he got back in Salem. He could never have figured it out there, most likely running into Will on a daily basis. He could not take that. Not only that he was so mad—disappointed really—with Will, but also that he knew that seeing Will would wear him down. This was no time for instant forgiveness. Will had hurt him, and he wasn't sure he could forgive him. He had trusted Will, and that trust had been broken. The question was, was it broken beyond repair?

_Ping_. _Ping_. _Ping_. Aha, in came the texts—first from Chad, asking how long Sonny would be gone. He had texted Chad before he left, letting him know he was leaving town for a while, and that taking care of the coffee house was the least Chad could do, after the mayhem he had let loose. That was the last text he had sent before he turned off his phone. It had been excruciating, not talking to Will every day, but that was one thing he needed to find out—could he live without Will in his life?

The answer had come to him this morning. As he prepared to leave his campsite for a hike, he noticed the edge of the envelope, now peeking out from his bag. It was a sign. It was time.

After hiking through the woods, searching for the perfect spot, he ascended a tall rock, and looked out at the seemingly endless sky. He again took a deep breath, looked for a smooth spot, and sat down. He held the envelope in his hands for a few minutes, looking at Will's handwriting. This was it. It was time to know.

He carefully opened the envelope, hands trembling. He tried to convince himself it was due to the brisk morning air, but he knew better. He pulled out the paper, and began to read:

_Dear Sonny,  
I know that nothing I can say right now will change things between us…_

As he finished the letter, Sonny still could not say he completely understood why Will did what he did, but he did know that Will's childhood had clouded his decisions. While he had never been a believer of "blame everything you do wrong on your childhood," he did see where Will was coming from, wanting stability where his childhood had been lacking.  
He had found some peace in reading the letter, and the anger seemed to have died down to a slow dull burn. He wasn't sure what the future held, but he knew he needed to see Will. Their relationship was worth at least a face-to-face talk, and Sonny was ready for just that.

_Ping. Ping. Ping._ More texts. Sonny's parents were worried about him, but had stopped by the coffee house, and heard word from Chad that he had taken off. They understood he needed time, and that he needed that time somewhere other than Salem. He sent them a quick text, letting them know he would be back by the end of the day, and then headed back to take down his tent. He was heading home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Never thought I would use this pet name, but, eh, if Shane West can get away with it in "A Walk to Remember," then so can I :)**

It was late afternoon when Sonny arrived back in Salem. It had been a long drive, but more contemplative than the sheer numbness he had felt on the drive up. He had gone over what he was going to say to Will during the entire drive home. He wanted to get it just right. He wanted to be understanding and supportive, without being a pushover. He wanted Will to know that he was willing to give him another chance, but it was going to take a lot of time and work to trust him again. But, most of all, despite his fears of opening himself up to getting hurt again, he wanted to let Will know that he still loved him too. He wanted to tell Will that night at the coffee house, but the words couldn't get past the tears he was choking back in his throat.

Walking into the apartment wasn't as painful now. Will still loved him—he had known that when he left. But now…now he knew what he wanted too, and the hope that someday this could be _their_ home again allowed him to be there without the memories weighing him down.

After a quick shower, he tried on way too many shirts, and checked his hair way too many times. Why did he care so much? Wasn't Will the one with something to prove? Sonny _knew_ the answer though. He cared so much because he _cared so much—_for Will, and for their relationship. He wanted everything to be perfect when he saw Will. Yes, Will had been the one to break their relationship, but it was going to take both of them to fix it. He took one more look in the mirror and headed out to find Will.

Sonny hadn't realized how much he had missed Salem until he was walking down its familiar streets. There was something to be said about traveling and seeing new places, but it was also nice to have that sense of _home_. As Sonny approached the coffee house, he knew he would eventually have to talk to Chad. He didn't condone what Chad had done, but he had to wonder how long the lies would have continued on if Chad hadn't stood up and said something that day. Still, Chad didn't get to pull the "don't shoot the messenger" card—the way he went about his revenge, he had humiliated so many people that day, including Sonny himself. What people must have thought, for him to not know something so intimate about his own boyfriend? But if Sonny was giving Will a second chance, did Chad deserve one too? As Sonny glanced inside the window of the coffee house, he noticed that Chad was struggling to keep up with the growing crowd. Making drinks, taking money, and the tables were a mess. Sonny thought about going inside to help him.

"Hey, you! Where have you been hiding?" He looked up to see Abigail heading his way

Sonny gave her a hug, and said, "Oh, you know, needed a little time away from the drama of Salem."

"Yeah," she said, glancing inside the coffee house with a scowl, "I know what you mean. Well, I'm glad you're back. I'll let you get in there—it looks like he needs your help."

Sonny smiled, "Oh, no, Chad's proven he likes to take matters into his own hands, so I'll let him do just that…for a while longer anyway. I'm actually on my way over to Sami's right now."

"Oh…Will isn't there," Abigail told him. "I guess you didn't hear."

"Hear what?" Sonny felt an instant sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Well, I'm not sure if you want to hear the details, but, he's at the hospital," Abigail informed him.

"I gotta go," Sonny said, hurriedly.

"What? Wait, Sonny! He…" Abigail started, but he was already gone.

On the way to the hospital, Sonny wondered how he had let himself stay gone so long, completely cut off from the world—from everyone he loved. He never should have gone. He should have let Will explain after the wedding, like he wanted to. He should have given them a chance to work through this. Now it might be too late.

When he got to the hospital, Sonny found Maggie near the nurse's station.

"Where is he? Have you seen him?" Sonny said, desperately.

"Oh, Sonny! Victor will be so happy to see that you are safe and sound! But he isn't here." Maggie said, giving Sonny a quick hug.

"No…I mean, great, I will go see him when I get a chance but…_Will_…have you seen _Will_."

"Oh," Maggie said, surprised. "Yes, I just saw him. He's down the hall there, on your right."

"Thank you so much, Maggie!" Sonny said, as he headed that way.

Sonny began to glance in the rooms to the right, but then noticed Will, sitting in a chair in the hall. Looking like he hadn't slept in days, Will had his head in his hands. He looked up at the sound of Sonny coming down the hall. He quickly stood up, searching Sonny's eyes for his reason for being there.

Sonny's eyes began to fill with tears, as he pulled Will in for a hug. He wasn't sure what he was doing, or why, but it felt like the right thing to do. "I'm so glad you're okay," Sonny said, wiping his eyes as he pulled back.

"Me? I was so worried about _you_! I tried to call you, but it kept going straight to voicemail. You said that you would always take my call… but I knew you were furious with me, so I figured you had changed your mind and I stopped trying," Will explained.

"Oh," Sonny said, "I'm so sorry, I turned my phone off while I was gone. I didn't realize…wait, why…what's going on, why are you here?"

The pain in Will's eyes was evident with the reminder of where he was. He swallowed hard before answering, "the baby."

"The baby? But—it's way too early for the baby—" Sonny trailed off, realizing Will didn't mean the baby was coming tonight. "Oh my g…is it okay?"

"They don't know yet. They did an ultrasound and…something about low fluid levels. They're keeping her overnight to monitor it, and do more tests tomorrow," Will explained.

"Oh,…but they think the baby will be okay, right" Sonny asked.

Will slumped back down into his chair, head back down in his hands, and broke down, "They don't know…they say sometimes it can be fatal. My God, Sonny…I just got used to the idea…I just started fighting to have her in my life, and now I may never get to know her!"

Sonny quickly sat down next to Will and held him as he cried. "Oh, baby, " he said, stroking Will's hair, "baby, it's gonna be okay. It'll be okay. She's here, getting cared for by the best doctors, and the baby will be okay. The baby will be fi—Wait…did you say 'her'?"

Will finally raised his head, tears still in his eyes, but slightly smiling, "Yeah…it's a girl…I'm gonna have a daughter."

Sonny gave a slight smile. He was still so disappointed that Will hadn't been honest with him, but couldn't help but think about Will being someone's father. He even let himself consider Will's daughter would be a part of _both_ of their lives. He hadn't thought he was ready for kids yet, but the thought was not so scary now, thinking of them as a family.

Sonny let go of his hold on Will, brushed the hair off of Will's forehead, and rubbed his thumb under Will's eyes to wipe away his tears. "So, she's going to be here all night, and they are monitoring both of them, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Will said, calming down and taking a deep but still uneasy breath.

"And they will let you know if anything happens during the night. So, there's really nothing you can do here. You look like you could use some rest," Sonny told him.

"But, I don't know…I guess so," Will wanted to be there in case anything happened, but the day had drained him.

"Okay, well, why don't you go in and let her know you are going to go get some rest, and to let you know if they find out anything, or if she needs anything. Then I'll take you home."

"Okay," Will said, thankful that he had Sonny there with him, and that things were less tense between them.

Will was exhausted, and fell asleep in the car on the way home. When they arrived, Sonny rubbed Will's cheek until he finally awoke from his deep sleep. "Someone was tired," Sonny said with a smile.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get in there and get into bed…Uh, what.." Will said, looking out the window, noticing they weren't at his mom's apartment.

Sonny didn't explain, only saying, "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Will got out and followed him to the door. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Sonny answered. "We've got a long way to go…a lot to talk about…and a long road ahead of us, but yes, I'm sure."

Sonny opened the door, and threw his keys on the desk. "You forgot something," he said, handing Will _his_ key.

Will smiled, then leaned in and put his forehead against Sonny's. "Thank you. I love you so much, and I promise I will never hurt—"

Sonny put his finger up to Will's lips, "Not now…I know, and we will talk about it…a LOT" he said with a stern look, "but not now, not tonight."

They both got ready for bed, then, slightly awkwardly, found their way to their familiar side of the bed. They lay, facing each other, both still hurting, but hopeful. "I love you too, Will."

Will smiled, and let out a deep sigh, knowing that, eventually, everything would be okay.

"Oh, and Will?" Sonny said.

"Yes?"

"Welcome home."


End file.
